Children's Institute Inc.
Children's Institute Inc. is a Los Angeles nonprofit that helps children and families recover from violence, abuse, neglect, poverty, and other forms of trauma.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Children's Institute Inc. (CII) is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization providing trauma-informed services to children, young people, and families affected by family and community violence. Its work addresses the effects of child abuse, neglect, domestic violence, gang violence, poverty, and related social and emotional pressures. Rather than operating as a single-purpose counseling provider, CII combines clinical treatment, prevention, early childhood services, youth development, child-welfare assistance, professional training, and family support within an integrated service model. The organization traces its origins to 1906, when Minnie Barton, described as Los Angeles's first female probation officer, established the Big Sister League. The original purpose was to assist troubled young women who were vulnerable or disconnected from support systems in Los Angeles. Over time, the organization broadened its mission to serve children and families in neighborhoods experiencing concentrated social and economic hardship. It later became known as Children's Institute Inc., reflecting this wider, family-centered scope. CII's contemporary approach is organized around recovery, resilience, and readiness. Its programs seek to help children process traumatic experiences, strengthen relationships with caregivers, develop emotional and practical skills, and prepare for healthier participation in school, family, and community life. Services include individual and family therapy, trauma intervention, parenting education, early care and education, child-welfare support, youth-development programming, and other forms of family assistance. Programming is delivered in English, Spanish, and Korean, supporting the culturally diverse communities of Los Angeles. The organization operates from several locations in and around Los Angeles, including the Otis Booth Campus in the Rampart/Westlake area, the Burton Green Campus in Torrance, the Mid-Wilshire Campus near Koreatown, and satellite or community locations in Watts and the San Pedro/Long Beach area. CII also works with public agencies, schools, hospitals, law enforcement, and community organizations. Reported partners and collaborators have included First 5 LA, the Los Angeles Police Department, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. CII has also developed a professional education role through its Leadership Center, which provides conferences, workshops, and other training for mental-health and children's-services professionals, policymakers, law-enforcement personnel, and related practitioners. Its training and internship activities include an American Psychological Association-accredited psychology internship and social-work placements connected with the University of Southern California School of Social Work. The organization was recognized as Agency of the Year by the USC School of Social Work in 2014. Its institutional development has been supported by philanthropic and public investment. The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation has reported investing $10 million in CII over time. In 2011, CII received a $5 million, three-year Social Innovation Fund award to expand work in Watts and Central Los Angeles. In 2014, it announced a partnership with architect Frank Gehry to create a full-service Watts campus. The resulting approximately 20,000-square-foot facility opened in 2022. CII remains an active regional nonprofit focused on coordinated services for children and families rather than a commercial product brand.
History
Children's Institute Inc. began in Los Angeles in 1906 as the Big Sister League, founded by Minnie Barton, the city's first female probation officer. The early organization was created to help troubled young women who lacked stable support and were vulnerable to exploitation, neglect, or involvement with the justice system. Its founding reflected the Progressive Era interest in specialized social services for children and young people rather than relying solely on punishment or institutional care. Across the twentieth century, the organization expanded beyond its initial focus and developed into a broader child- and family-services agency. Its later mission addressed children and families affected by child abuse, neglect, domestic violence, gang violence, poverty, and other forms of community trauma. The organization's growth eventually led to the Children's Institute Inc. name and a service model encompassing prevention, clinical intervention, treatment, family support, early childhood education, and youth development. One of the most consequential episodes in the organization's history was its involvement in the McMartin preschool case during the 1980s. CII participated in interviewing children suspected of abuse, at a time when specialized methods involving hand puppets and anatomically correct dolls were viewed by some practitioners as tools that could assist disclosure. More than 350 children connected with the case were interviewed. The methods and interpretations used during this period later became heavily discredited; research and subsequent criticism concluded that the interview techniques could encourage children to make false allegations. CII's role therefore became associated with the broader day-care abuse panic and disputes over suggestive interviewing, evidentiary reliability, and professional standards in child-abuse investigations. The organization also received $350,000 in state funding in 1985 and became the first publicly funded training center for the diagnosis and treatment of child abuse, linking its institutional development to the period's heightened public and governmental concern. In later decades, CII emphasized evidence-informed and trauma-focused practice, moving toward integrated services for the whole child and family. Its framework is commonly described through the concepts of recovery, resilience, and readiness. The organization participates in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and has used that affiliation to shape family-driven and culturally responsive programming. It provides therapy and intervention, parenting workshops, early care, child-welfare services, youth programs, and support for families in high-need Los Angeles neighborhoods. CII also became a training and community-partnership institution. Through its Leadership Center, it offers professional education for mental-health workers, children's-service practitioners, policymakers, law-enforcement personnel, and other stakeholders. It maintains an APA-accredited psychology internship and social-work placements associated with the USC School of Social Work. Its partnerships have included public agencies, schools, hospitals, police, and county departments responsible for mental health and child welfare. Geographic expansion and campus investment have been important later milestones. The organization serves families through the Otis Booth Campus in Rampart/Westlake, the Burton Green Campus in Torrance, the Mid-Wilshire Campus near Koreatown, and additional community or satellite sites including Watts and the San Pedro/Long Beach area. Philanthropic support has included substantial investment from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, while a 2011 Social Innovation Fund award supported expansion in Watts and Central Los Angeles. In 2014, CII announced a partnership with architect Frank Gehry for a new full-service Watts campus. The approximately 20,000-square-foot building opened in 2022, reinforcing the organization's long-term presence in one of Los Angeles's historically underserved communities. CII is an active regional nonprofit rather than a publicly traded corporation. Its present identity is centered on coordinated, culturally responsive services that help children and caregivers recover from trauma, improve family stability, and build the capabilities needed for healthier development.
- 2022
Watts campus opens
[1]The new approximately 20,000-square-foot Watts facility opened.
- 2014
Frank Gehry Watts campus partnership announced
[1]CII announced that architect Frank Gehry would help design a new full-service campus in Watts.
- 2011
Social Innovation Fund expansion award
[1]CII received a five-million-dollar, three-year Social Innovation Fund award to expand services in Watts and Central Los Angeles.
- 1985
State funding establishes an abuse training center
[1]CII received $350,000 in state funding and became the first publicly funded training center for child-abuse diagnosis and treatment.
- 1980
Participation in the McMartin preschool case
[1]The organization interviewed children connected with the McMartin preschool investigation and trial, later becoming the subject of criticism over its interview methods.
- 1906
Big Sister League founded
[1]Minnie Barton founded the Big Sister League in Los Angeles to assist troubled young women.
Products and positioning
A community-based, family-centered nonprofit that combines evidence-informed trauma treatment, prevention, early childhood care, youth development, and professional training for Los Angeles communities affected by violence and poverty.
Mental health
Trauma-informed clinical services
CII provides individual and family treatment, therapy, and intervention for children and caregivers affected by abuse, neglect, domestic violence, community violence, and other traumatic experiences. The services are designed to support recovery while strengthening emotional regulation, relationships, and resilience.
Early childhood services
Early care and education
Early childhood programming forms part of CII's whole-family model. It combines care and developmental support with services intended to strengthen caregivers and identify risks affecting young children's social, emotional, and educational development.
Family services
Family support and parenting programs
Family-support services include parenting workshops and related assistance intended to improve caregiver capacity, family stability, and access to community resources. Programming is described as family-driven and culturally responsive and is available in English, Spanish, and Korean.
Youth services
Youth development programs
Youth-development work helps young people build confidence, identify strengths, and develop practical and emotional skills for overcoming personal and situational barriers. It complements CII's clinical and family-support services.
Professional education
Leadership Center
The Leadership Center provides conferences, workshops, and other training for professionals working in mental health, child welfare, education, law enforcement, and children's services. Its subject matter emphasizes evidence-informed practice and improved responses to child and family needs.
Controversies
1980
McMartin preschool case and disputed interview practices
CII played a significant role in interviewing children associated with the McMartin preschool abuse investigation and trial. The use of puppets, anatomically correct dolls, and other interviewing approaches was later criticized, with subsequent research indicating that the methods could contribute to false allegations. The episode is part of the wider history of the 1980s day-care abuse panic and debates over suggestive questioning and forensic interviewing.
Brand decisions
2014
Develop a full-service Watts campusStrategyBackground
CII identified the need for a larger, integrated facility in the Watts community.
Action taken
The organization partnered with architect Frank Gehry to design a new approximately 20,000-square-foot campus.
Aftermath
The campus opened in 2022 and became part of CII's community-based service network.
2011
Expand community services through Social Innovation Fund supportStrategyBackground
CII sought to extend its integrated services into Watts and Central Los Angeles.
Action taken
The organization accepted a five-million-dollar, three-year Social Innovation Fund award for expansion.
Aftermath
The award supported a broader presence in two Los Angeles communities, although detailed outcome figures are not provided in the reference material.
Grant award. $5 million (2011; three-year award)
Sources2 sources
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